


Simply the Best

by bisexualreina



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Domestic Fox Mulder/Dana Scully, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Post Season 7, Pregnant Dana Scully, The X Files - Freeform, Tina Turner - Freeform, scully and mulder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:07:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28799577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexualreina/pseuds/bisexualreina
Summary: Burgers and dancing
Relationships: Fox Mulder & Dana Scully, Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 4
Kudos: 93





	Simply the Best

Scully wrapped herself warmly in her cherished yellow and white fleece blanket, her home. Her short hair was brushed back with a soft headband, a cooling eye mask working to deflate her sleep deprived swelling. She hadn’t been into work, Mulder’s abrupt return from his abduction being much sooner than she had anticipated, recalling how she had been been missing for months, a time that felt so long in the past.

She had confided her secret in Walter Skinner, the last person on Earth that she thought she’d be telling, but she couldn’t find it in her to utter the words to him. It had all been so artificial in her eyes, followed by a night that she still couldn’t find the words to explain, bodies entangled in bed, their union something eccentric as if the world had shifted beneath them.

She took a shaky breath and swirled her cooling tea from her mug, no longer interested in the bitter taste that she forced down to try and settle her stomach. She absolutely hated nausea and all of the debilitating side effects that came along with it, cursing the fact that she found herself moving at half her regular pace, the churning of her stomach making it impossible to sprint or run like she had before. 

However, her night had been an easier one, allowing her to sit back and flip through her television, squeeze a nap in- oh how her body loved to sleep these days, and conjure up a bit of soup from her cupboards, frowning at her lack of selection. She had spoken briefly with Mulder in the morning, explaining she was indeed under the weather, and that she’d be taking her Friday to start the weekend early, her reasoning making his voice falter as he quietly hung up after wishing her well.

Things had been off, she knew how hard adjusting back to normal life was after being torn from your own reality. Hell, she had spent many nights dreading the reality that she was expected to fall back into without a bump or hitch in how she carried herself. She knew Mulder would need time, but that fact alone made her own timing seem dreadful. He had eagerly offered beforehand, that he’d willingly help make her dreams come true, but now she worried, that he would only want to be a part of that specific step. It was best to wait.

Flipping mindlessly through the channels she sipped on her glass of water that sat beside her mug, settling on a cooking program, wincing slightly before settling at the fact that her nausea had settled for the day. Her stomach growled hungrily as she studied the woman sautéing veggies for a pasta dish, shrinking farther onto her sofa in order to get her ankles fully elevated, noticing how they would swell after long days.

Before she could continue salivating over the dish, a knocking presence on her door caused her to raise an eyebrow and shrug, slipping on her fluffy slippers that she had busted out of her closet earlier that morning and unstrapping the chilled mask from her face. 

Unlatching her door she smiled at her somberly content partner clutching a paper bag with visible grease splatters resulting in an involuntary grumble of her stomach. 

“Mulder, it’s Friday night, don’t you have your night with the gunmen?” She questioned with a soft yawn, stepping back to grant him entrance before flopping herself down on the cushions. He pursed his lips and shook his head with a careful smile.

“No, we do every _other_ Friday.” He reminded, his reluctance not going unnoticed by his observant partner who hastily swiped on some chapstick and guzzled down her glass of water to erase her washed out complexion from vomiting all morning.

“Oh, sorry.” She shrugged, the discomfort lingering in the room as he set the bag down on a paper towel that he had gotten before taking a seat across from her, the red logo of the bag hinting at something in her exhausted brain.

“I knew you were sick with a cold, so I brought you Lenny’s.” He smiled softly, the sound of the burger joint leaving his mouth causing a lightbulb to go off and her mouth fall open.

Hastily glancing towards the calendar above her desk she saw a slight star beside the date.

_October 15th_

She had forgotten.

“Fuck.” She whispered under her breath, glancing back at Mulder who wordlessly began unpacking their burgers, chewing on his bottom lip before passing her signature order over.

At the sight of her burger, she grinned at how he remembered without her having to even be there. One patty with _sharp_ cheddar cheese, onion rings, and smothered in barbecue sauce, with a tiny cup of it on the side for dipping the bits that seemed to be just too dry.

“I completely forgot, Mulder I’m sorry.” She exhaled, their silly gag of a tradition had turned into something much more meaningful as the years had passed. October 15th, they had returned from their first case on the road, the only place open being Lenny’s, both agents being famished had set up camp inside, scarfing down their burgers and caffeinated beverages before returning to J. Edgar Hoover for more late nights.

Over the years it had remained a night that they kept, laced with more and more intimacy given the circumstance.

He had taken her after driving her home from the hospital following her abduction, upon her request. The both of them sitting quietly in their booth before he eventually broke it, playfully tossing his straw wrapper against her nose.

When she couldn’t keep anything down because of her chemo treatment, it was the first thing out of her mouth when remission hit and she wanted to enjoy her first meal again. 

Following Mulder’s closure in the field, and mourning Samantha, she had showed up on his doorstep with a similar bag and patient grin. That time there was little chatter, and no table hockey with straw wrappers.

However there he was, keeping their tradition that they had set, October 15th being their unofficial day to remember if something hadn’t yet come up requiring a trip to Lenny’s. 

“That’s alright, Scully. The stomach flu can be the worst, but you look and sound a little better than this morning, earlier you sounded like shit.” He winked, unwrapping his Swiss cheese, mushroom, and gravy burger that he eagerly moved in on.

She nodded pensively and quickly changed the subject, unwrapping the paper from her burger before taking a massive bite out of it. A lighthearted giggle bubbled up her chest and through her nose at the feeling of the sauce on her face, making Mulder jokingly roll his eyes before wiping it away with the pad of his thumb.

“You’re always so messy, Scully.” He teased, swiftly licking the sauce off of his finger, versus wiping it on his jeans, the action not missed by Scully. She scoffed and pushed herself off of the sofa to grab some napkins and fill her water, taking note that Mulder had indeed purchased Cokes for the both of them, her’s caffeinated and untouched beside her food.

Returning with the napkins and wet wipes, she watched as he cleaned his hands before sauntering towards her collection of CDs, fingering through them before pulling one out.

“Tina Turner? I didn’t picture you as a ‘Private Dancer’ kind of girl?” He joked once more, feigning seduction as he pursed his lips into a tight kiss. She blushed at how fast he had found her guilty pleasure, the disc heavily used on the days that she managed to vacuum and clean her small living space, the faster songs motivating her as she pushed the heavy machine around to suck up the lingering dust.

“Hey! It was a gift…” She lied, her mouth full as she tried to protest, resulting in a wide, faux gasp as he carefully popped it out and into the stereo. Rolling her eyes she slid back onto the sofa and began picking at his burger as she finished up hers in the moments that he was gone.

The heavy music began to pulsate as Mulder spun on crossed feet, a smirk wide on his face as he began bouncing with the music towards her, now mouthing the words in her direction, hints of his old mischief flickering in his eyes.

_I call you when I need you and my heart’s on fire_

Stumbling hastily through the verse he powered through, his lengthy limbs struggling to find a good rhythm with the upbeat song, the image causing her to burst into a fit of laughter beneath the music.

_You’re simply the best_

_Better than all the rest_

_Better than anyone_

His eye contact jokingly tense as he reached a hand out towards her, causing an eyebrow to raise before he was nearly lifting her off of the sofa, a firm hand wrapping around her waist as he spun them both. With a dramatic arch of his back, pressing his hips against her stomach, he prompted her to do the same, swiftly dipping her at the blaring of the brass instruments.

Scully laughed at the feeling, grateful that in the moment her body was allowing her a moment of relief, letting her engage in pure happiness for a moment. Fingers clinging to his wool sweater, he swayed with her, giving a shimmy in between as a means to lighten their moments of eye contact together, but she mentally marked it as the song began to slow to a steady rhythm. She felt slightly winded from the sudden movements, resting her head against the thrumming of his heart as well to catch her breath.

“Good cardio, no wonder her legs are insured.” He exhaled, a hand falling to the back of her head as it normally did.

“Mmm yeah.” She agreed, pulling away before glancing up at him, the both of them slightly dewy from what had just happened, the music now shifting to something softer to play around them.

“Well I guess her album-,”

“I’m pregnant.” Scully blurted out, unable to keep it in any longer, her relief that he was there, present, holding her and basking in her presence too much. She had to let it out, for better or for worse.

“What?” He breathed, the music now feeling like a vortex of noise as he tried to zero in on her beaming face, she knew she should be feeling fear, anxiety, and many other things, but in the moment she couldn’t wipe her grin away.

“Yeah, I found out a few weeks ago.” She revealed, reaching a hand up to his cheek before attempting to scoot away to give him space to process, but he just continued to hold her, _them_.

Without a word he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against her lips, her eyes softening and falling shut as she reciprocated, moaning into it as he tangled his fingers into her hair, pulling the headband out to free her red mane.

“I’m- I’m going to be a dad?” He whispered, his voice now reserved once more as she nodded eagerly, her own eyes pooling with tears as he stepped back. “And you’re going to be a mom!” Now piecing the puzzle together with excitement as he swiped his soda from the table, noticing her untouched one as well.

“Sorry, my lips probably taste like barbecue sauce.” She cringed playfully as he paced slightly, returning to pull her close into his arms once more, leaning in for another kiss before promptly pulling away.

“You didn’t have the flu…! Is it alright that I was dancing with you like that?” He cried in panic, making her giggle and nod against his chest.

“I’m fine.” She promised, his hands fitting around her waist before eyeing her once more, his expression now laced with a hint of something new in his eyes.

“Well, another Lenny’s night down for the books.” He grinned, Scully nodding before reaching high onto her toes to kiss him properly, never wanting to let go.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you have any thoughts feel free to leave them!:)


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